Viktor Orbán’s poll numbers sink ahead of election
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Photo: Getty Images)
A poll of the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has shown a significant lag behind his opponent amid the election campaign. The gap amounts to 20 percentage points in favor of the opposition Tisza party led by Péter Magyar, according to Bloomberg.
Bloomberg writes that such a result could secure a constitutional majority in parliament for the opposition Tisza party, allowing it to quickly begin rolling back Hungary’s shift toward authoritarianism after 16 years of Orbán’s rule.
It is reported that the stakes in the election go beyond Hungary itself — Orbán is the closest European ally of US President Donald Trump and the most vocal advocate of the Kremlin four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Bloomberg also recalled how Donald Trump voiced support for Viktor Orbán ahead of the elections scheduled to take place in Hungary on April 12.
This week, Hungary and Slovakia at least temporarily blocked the EU’s 20th package of sanctions against Russia, as well as a €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
In response to criticism over the latter, Orbán has cited the suspension of Russian oil transit through Ukraine, which occurred after damage caused by Russian strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline.
The Hungarian prime minister has complained that Kyiv is allegedly deliberately delaying pipeline repairs for political reasons.
Meanwhile, Brussels is closely monitoring the upcoming elections in Hungary, where the EU has frozen more than $20 billion in funding for Budapest over concerns about the rule of law and corruption.
“The bloc has frequently clashed with Orban, who calls Ukraine the “enemy” and made Hungary’s war-torn eastern neighbor the centerpiece of his campaign,” Bloomberg writes.
Escalation of relations with Ukraine
The already tense relations between Hungary under the rule of Viktor Orbán and Ukraine have recently worsened. This occurred amid the situation surrounding the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was struck by Moscow, making it impossible to supply energy resources to Hungary and Slovakia.
At the same time, Orbán’s government has accused Kyiv of being unwilling to restore the pipeline’s operation, claiming this is due to political reasons.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, suggested that Orbán negotiate an energy ceasefire with Moscow if he has complaints about the current situation.
Zelenskyy stated that even during repair work, Russia shells the specialists restoring the damage, and therefore, Ukraine will not sacrifice people’s lives.
Despite the disputes, the Ukrainian side has proposed a compromise to Hungary on resolving the situation with the Druzhba oil pipeline.
